The Mikvah: The Holy Jew Bath

A Mikvah (or Mikveh), quite simply, can be described as a ritualistic Jew bath. Want to know more?

Excellent, here we go:

Used primarily by the more Orthodox Jewish communities, it is used to symbolically purify the body. According to Jewish law, a mikvah must be connected to a naturally occurring water source and it must contain enough water to fully immerse a person of average stature.

But what about that mikvah that looks like it's in a locker room? Well if no natural water source is available, a mikvah can be filled via open-air pipes that carry rainwater down via gravity. You are not permitted to transport water to a mikvah for filling, it must be “natural” (although for some reason the water is allowed to be chlorinated).

Sorry ladies, you are not permitted in this most holy of Jew baths.

While visiting the ancient city of Tzfat I was guided by a Hasidic man (who uses a mikvah everyday) to the most ancient of all Israel's mikvahs (supposedly).

Unbeknownst to my guide, the largest congregation of Hasidic Jews I have ever seen were barreling down on us to purify themselves in the mikvah along with their celebrity guest Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum (based on what I was told he is anti-Zionist rabbi (thinks all the Jews should get the hell out of Israel) from Williamsburg, New York).

Many in my group were soon overrun by more Hasidic full-frontal nudity than they had ever imagined possible (and many of them will never be the same). For you devout Jews, a trip to an Israeli mikvah might be nice to add to your list, but for everyone else, there really isn't much to see here…nothing but circumcised penises.

ABOUT

Halfway Anywhere started out in 2011 as a way for me to share my travels with friends and family. Since then it has grown tremendously into a not only a collection of my own stories and travels but as a resource for anyone looking to step into the world of adventure.

I try to share information from firsthand experience to make travel more accessible to everyone looking to escape those prohibitive zones of comfort. Find out more about the site here